It’s a real breath of fresh air how this poll has turned out. It seems that a little common sense goes a long way with these pollsters. While the government might have strict guidelines to enforce, the average market going customer has the most powerful input in that they will choose to purchase perishables at the market or they will not. While a few people are skeptical of the market, this seems the saver option in my opinion compared to those with blind faith in farmer’s implementation of food safety.
I do not have a long history of buying meat, dairy, or prepared food at the farmers market. I have bought eggs, ground chicken, and ground beef far and few between. The meat I bought was taken from a cooler and handed to me in a rock hard frozen state. Eggs on the other hand come right off the table, but I’ve had no problems with them. The table top farmers eggs are of higher quality than the ice cold ones at the grocery store any day. Surely if I was handed a warm mushy pack of ground beef I would think twice, but that isn’t what’s happening at the farmers market I frequent so I’m not worried. As long as I can see a cooler, and continue to be presented with frozen meat I’ll continue to purchase these types of products from the market, and I suggest it’s in everyone’s best interest to use common sense over government enforcement in how our local farmers market is run.
10 comments:
I have heard a few first hand accounts of ridiculous run-ins with both county and city of Cleveland inspectors.
I don't refrigerate my eggs unless they have already been refrigerated. I keep eggs in a dark, not often used cupboard. Although, if I have a pile up of eggs (we get them every other week with our CSA and I use them in spurts)and I know that I may not use them within 2 months I will refrigerate them. I've kept good farm eggs upt o 5 months in the fridge.
How's the job hunt going? I'm eager to find out where you land.
Yes but happened to that meat before it got in the cooler or freezer is what scares me. Unless there is some kind of training involved I don't have confidance.
If it's a State inspected farm I'm fine with it. I currently buy eggs, chicken and pork from a local inspected farm.
I also question who's doing the butchering and where.
I'm pretty sure in Ohio all meat sold has to be butchered at a liscened, inspected butcher. I remember not long ago reading an article that implied that the cost of transporting even modest numbers of animals to the butcher made trying to sell the meat at a competative price impossible. There is also a traveling, liscened butcher working out of a sanatized big rig truck, but the wait time was like 3 years.
I'm guessing that meat gets equally miss treated by the big box grocery store as well as the well intentioned farmers. It's just a roll of the dice that neither of us happen to buy that specific package! Good luck.
I wish I had good news on the job search front, but there just isn't alot out there. I don't want to take a step back below Sous Chef, and those positions are almost non existant on craigs list. I also want to stay somewhere more than 6 months after my past 3 experiances. Something will come up eventually.
Good luck with that. On the flip side I'm not being over run with resumes. The guy I hired I fired after two weeks. As feared, young chefs aren't what they used to be.
Have you considered Vegas?
Just kidding:)
Vegas, ha ha ha. My girl wants to move to vegas. she thinks we can bring in $100,000 a year combined. I doubt that.
I'm being fairly judicial as far as sending out my resume these days. I've seen a few jobs i'm sure I would get hired for, but i wouldn't be happy there, and eventually they wouldn't be happy with me. It's about looking for someone I can trust to work hard for, work together. It's not easy.
What's the cost of living like Racine? You got any casinos there?
I here Vegas is hurting big time. Lots of cooks and chefs out of work out there.
Racine is hurting as well. 16% unemployment.
You could go the Country Club route? Check your cahones at the door.
16% unemployment?!?! Oh my gosh, that is terrible.
I think Michael is correct in saying that all meat sold in Ohio has to be processed at a licensed facility.
I have seen some of the large licensed processing plants and they are not pretty or places, not places I would want my meat processed.
I think as a consumer we should have the choice of who processes our meat. I would rather have a hog processed by the hands fellow that raised it, on his farm and who I know and trust than one processed at one of the mega-facilities (not to take away from some of the smaller plants that local ranchers use).
Require that the label say whether or not it was processed in a licensed facility and let me decided what I want.
Michael, I hope you find the right thing soon. I am looking forward to finally having a meal prepared by your hands!
The idea of meat from an un-liscensed butcher is a very romantic idea. I'm sure this is happening all the time, but the meat isn't sold outside of a small circle of trusted individuals.
As far as safety the mega-facilities have a pretty good track record. Sure they are humanely and ethicly challanged.
I'm sure insurance on a independantly liscences facility would be outragous. It only takes one Billy to leave meat in his pick-up truck, let it spoil, and sue the butcher before they all go out of business.
I'm sure if you wanted to butcher your own beast, or be a part of such an event your only one or two sources away by just chatting with people at the farmers market. The best way to find out who has the best corn is to ask the potato vendor because he's buying some just like us.
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